Warrnambool College and Westvic Staffing Solutions program gets students into workplaces

That was the question posed to Warrnambool College year nine students as part of its Industry Connection Program with young minds brainstorming ideas and solutions to real-life situations.

Warrnambool's Callaghan Motors participated in the program and electric vehicle specialist Shane Hicks said some of the students' ideas had already been implemented at the dealership.

He said a number of its brands produced electric vehicles and Callaghans had included more information on its website to educate customers about the relatively new vehicles and dispel some of the misconceptions.

Mr Hicks said he was impressed by their initiative and problem solving and said the business was always looking for ways to improve.

"The kids learnt so much from us and we learnt a lot from them," Mr Hicks said.

"They were all fantastic ideas. We were so impressed by what the kids came up with and there were things we hadn't even considered. It couldn't have gone any better. We were thrilled to be a part of it."

As part of the joint initiative with Westvic Staffing Solutions students worked in groups to research, problem solve and present their solutions to local businesses including Powercor, Midfield Meat, Honeypot Child Care Centre, Warrnambool City Council, Wannon Water, Victoria Police and Tasweld. South West TAFE and Deakin University also hosted sessions.

Warrnambool student Sam Anderson, 14, won a group award for his work with Callaghans and also received the program's overall excellence and effort award.

Sam's group looked at the cost savings associated with electric cars. "People care about money and the cost of the electric vehicles usually scares them away," Sam said. "We thought we need to educate people about how much money you can save in the long run."

His research found consumers could save $10,000 over four years on petrol and repair costs compared with a standard petrol vehicle.

Mr Hicks said Sam's problem solving stood out and he had great ideas that he put into practise. "He was very factual in his numbers and his figuring out and how he put that into his presentation was fantastic," he said.

Sam enjoyed the program and said it had opened his eyes to the different employers and a variety of jobs.

Warrnambool College curriculum innovation co-ordinator Danny Finn said students were exposed to various organisations and job opportunities, which had improved their career aspirations and increased their awareness of future career pathway opportunities.

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